• Home
• Board Members
• Membership
• Mission Statement
• Legislative
• Calendar
• Corporate Sponsor
• Optician Opti-PAC
• Classified Ads
• Optical Links
• Forms
• Convention
• Pictures

Fellow Opticians:

2010 Session Opens! The 2010 regular session of the 106th Tennessee General Assembly convened on January 12, 2010. During the opening two weeks, the General Assembly conducted a special, or extraordinary session, where members deliberated and voted to approve Governor Bredesenís education reforms. These reforms were needed to enable Tennessee to qualify and apply for federal Race to the Top education funds.

With the Special Session behind them, legislators turned their attention to finding ways to create a balanced budget in a stagnant economy. With less than two months left in the legislative session, legislators face a $1 Billion budget shortfall. An unenviable situation to be in and will involve difficult cuts to the state workforce and to already cash-strapped departments.

Resolution Promotes Creation of New School of Opticianry

After careful drafting of language and discussions by the TDOA Board and with Southwest Tennessee Community College President Nathaniel Essex, draft resolution language has been presented to State Representative Barbara Cooper (D-Memphis) for her review and comments. Southwest Tennessee Community College resides in her legislative district and she has agreed to carry the legislation. Concurrently, Senator Ophelia Ford (D-Memphis) also has Southwest Tennessee Community College in her legislative district and will serve as sponsor of the Senate companion language. Based on preliminary discussions with President Essex, he believes a School of Opticianry would complement the newly constructed Southwest Tennessee Community College Allied Health Department. The proposed resolution recognizes the importance of a quality education and how opticians will continue to serve an important part of eye healthcare as our population continues to get older. Additionally, the resolution recognizes the School of Opticianry at Roane State Community College as the stateís only location for persons seeking an education and career as an optician, while citing Southwest Tennessee Community College as a prime location for another option for persons seeking to become opticians.

Expect to see the resolution introduced for the first of three readings during the week of April 5, 2010. Upon first reading, the resolution will then have to move through the committee process in the House and Senate. Following consideration and passage through the committee system, the bill will face deliberation and a vote in the full House and in the full Senate. Representative Cooper continues to serve as a true champion of the efforts of TDOA and to the licensed opticians all across the state! The TDOA will continue to keep you updated on the status of this resolution in our publications and on the www.tdoa.org website.

Submitted by our lobbyist for TDOA - Theo Morrison.